By Charles J.X. Kahwaty

Different tradesmen use different tools in their work. A baseball catcher relies on his glove and a quick arm. A mechanic on his wrench and plyers. A writer on the power of his pen. But if you know Frank O’Marrra, his tool has always been the telephone. And after January 22, 2021, that phone will be a little quieter.

For on that date Francis R. O’Marra, Jr., the longest serving Executive Director of the Bergen County Bar Association, will retire. The words retirement, and Frank O’Marra, are two expressions few ever thought they would see in the same sentence. For Frank has been both glue and lubricant for one of the largest county bar associations in the state, one which grew during his tutelage to approximately 2000 members. His counsel has been sought, not just within the county, but from both county and state bar associations throughout New Jersey.
Undoubtedly, that will not stop with his retirement. Read More

Please be advised that on May 4, 2020, the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office eDiscovery portal will go live. You can locate the eDiscovery portal by entering the web address into the browser of your computer. The Internet address is https://ediscovery.bcpo.net.

Once you have located the portal on the Internet, you will be asked to register in order to receive a login ID and password. Your Login ID and password will allow you to access the portal and download the discovery in your case. If any additional discovery is produced in the case and posted to the portal, you will receive an email or text indicating that additional documents have been added to the case and are available for you to download. Please note that any discovery involving video and/or audio files will be provided separately and can be picked up from the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office.

Should you be involved in additional cases in the future, your eDiscovery portal account can be used to make a request for discovery. Your registration account information will be used by the Prosecutor’s Office to match you to any case in which you have entered your appearance and have made a discovery request. The discovery will then be made available to you through the portal. Please make sure you have entered your appearance with the Court in order to be able to download your discovery through the portal.

Thank you for your attention to this matter. Should you have any difficulty with the registration process, please contact the Prosecutor’s Office at (201) 646-2300.

By Tamra Katcher and Joseph P. Rem, Jr.
Rem Katcher Law Group

First, apologies for the void over the past several months without the Criminal Law Update. We know there are many who have asked for it and wondered when we would be back – so here we are….

New Laws You Need to Know

As most of you know, on August 23, 2019, Governor Murphy signed into law a new and revised DWI law which became effective December 1, 2019. The law reduced or eliminated driver’s license suspensions in favor of requiring installation of an ignition interlock device, or IID, as part of the sentence for most DWI convictions. Those most impacted by the new law are first offenders with BAC readings below 0.15%. For those in this category, there is no DL suspension as long as the individual has the IID installed on his/her vehicle at the time of conviction. If the device is not installed at that time, then DL suspension is only until the client installs the device and presents a receipt to MVC to get his/her license restored. Thus, the period of license suspension is reduced to a few days as opposed to several months under the old statute. Other major changes to the statute include a new provision for those who do not own or have a car available to them; the removal of the IID requirement for first offense drug-DWI convictions; and the rescission of the school zone DWI offenses. Read More

The New Jersey courts are following the guidance of the New Jersey Department of Health (NJ DOH) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to navigate the evolving situation relating to the coronavirus (COVID-19). Based on that guidance, we are currently maintaining normal business operations. All courthouses and court facilities at present remain open according to their regular schedules.

At the same time, we are taking preventive measures to reduce risk and allay concerns. It is imperative that attorneys, litigants, court users, and court employees not come to court if they are or may be at risk of exposure to or transmission of COVID-19. Instead, as stressed in the message posted on our public website (njcourts.gov), anyone with symptoms of COVID-19 or a risk of exposure (including a risk based on recent travel) should contact the court by phone and request to reschedule the proceeding or seek some other accommodation. Requests should be documented in writing as well. Judges and staff will handle requests on a case-by-case basis consistent with the most up-to-date guidance from the NJ DOH and CDC.
Read More

Assignment Judges:

As we approach the February 28 deadline for this year’s annual attorney registration and payment process, this note is to once again request your assistance in reminding attorneys to electronically register and pay through the online Attorney Registration and Payment System by the deadline in order to avoid late fees.

Between now and February 28, please ask your judges to take every opportunity to remind the attorneys appearing before them to complete the annual online registration process.

Any questions may be directed to Superior Court Clerk Michelle M. Smith at michelle.smith@njcourts.gov or 609-815-2900 ext. 54200.

On behalf of the Supreme Court, thank you in advance for your assistance with this important matter.

GAG

Hon. Glenn A. Grant, J.A.D.
Acting Administrative Director

Over the past few months, the Bergen Vicinage installed flat screen monitors in the
courtrooms. If members of the Bar or litigants wish to present evidence to the court utilizing a monitor, they may attach an HDMI compatible device to the courtroom monitor.

The Bergen Vicinage also received 4 NOMAD devices from our Central Office in Trenton. For cases involving heavy evidence presentation, the Bar may request the use of one of these NOMAD devices through chambers. The NOMAD is an evidence presentation station. Having a modular design, the NOMAD can wheel into any courtroom, plug into a power outlet, and connect to multiple monitors configured for a witness, counsel tables, the Jury, and the public. With the NOMAD system, attorneys can present documents, photos, objects, videos, as well as electronic presentations to display details to the jurors.

Through the generosity of our members, the Bergen County Bar Association was able to distribute toys to kids in need for the holiday season.

Pictured are President, Andrew Cevasco (Archer & Greiner), along with Board Members, Craig Bossong (Florio Perrucci) and Andrew Toulas (Harwood Lloyd), who enjoyed the experience of presenting toys to some very appreciative children.

New Jersey attorneys are required annually to electronically file a registration statement in a form prescribed by the Administrative Director of the Courts as authorized by the Supreme Court and to pay an assessment in an amount determined by the Supreme Court. Beginning Wednesday, January 8, 2020, the Attorney Electronic Registration and Payment Center will be available for New Jersey attorneys to use for the 2020 registration and payment cycle. While the format of this application has been redesigned as part of the Judiciary’s move to a new cloud-based platform, the information being requested has not changed, except for the enhancements set forth in this notice.